We’re excited you’ll be joining us for these upcoming professional learning opportunities! June 9th sessions are available exclusively to registered participants of the Language and Literacy Symposium. From June 10th –12th, all registrants of the Embracing Literacy: Soaring with Language and Literacy Conference are welcome to attend a wide range of engaging sessions designed to elevate language and literacy practices across our communities.
We look forward to learning and growing together!
Log in to bookmark your favorites and sync them to your phone or calendar.
Add sessions to your personal schedule to register your attendance (Check-In).
Introduction: During this session, participants will dive into the understanding that comprehension is not a skill but rather an outcome. We will explore evidence-based strategies to use before, during, and after reading that support students in reading words accurately and fluently, understanding word meanings, building background knowledge, and focusing their attention on critical content. Through hands-on activities, we will practice three key strategies: Clicks and Clunks, Paragraph Shrinking, and a before-reading vocabulary strategy, while discussing how to adapt these techniques for diverse learners, including struggling readers and English learners. Attendees will leave with practical resources, templates, and actionable steps to implement these strategies and foster proficient readers and writers. Whether you're a teacher, coach, or administrator, this session will equip you with tools to drive meaningful student outcomes and bridge the gap between reading comprehension and writing proficiency.
Objectives: 1. Understand the process of reading comprehension. 2. Identify effective instructional practices to support reading comprehension before, during, and after passage reading. 3. Practice text protocols to support comprehension (paragraph shrinking).
Kim Penn has over 18 years of educational leadership and coaching experience working at the district and state level to support classroom teachers, instructional coaches and leaders to navigate the implementation of evidence-based literacy practices into the classroom. She works virtually... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am MDT Salon 5
If English spelling feels like a mess of rules and exceptions, this session is here to change your mind. Morphology—the study of word parts like bases, prefixes, and suffixes—reveals the logic behind spelling that phonics alone can’t explain. This isn’t just for older students or advanced readers. From the earliest grades on, morphology helps students understand why words are spelled the way they are. You’ll explore key principles, learn how to use word sums and matrices, and walk away with tools that bring meaning and structure to spelling for every grade level.
Objectives:
Explain the role of morphology in making sense of English spelling beyond phonics instruction.
Identify key morphological components, including bases, prefixes, and suffixes, and how they contribute to word meaning and structure.
Demonstrate how to construct and use word sums and matrices to support students' understanding of spelling patterns.
Recognize the value of introducing morphological instruction starting in the early grades.
Apply practical strategies and tools to integrate morphology into classroom instruction across all grade levels.
Credit Reflection Questions: Applying Learning to Practice
What new insights did you gain from the presentation, and how did they connect to your existing knowledge or experience?
In what ways did the presentation deepen or enhance your understanding of the topic?
How do you plan to apply what you learned in your work? Who will benefit from it, and what changes or improvements do you expect to see?
